Half mountain bike ride, half hike a bike

Getting there

Make your way to Pak Tam Chung Country Park entrance (Sia Kung). Where you will find snack shops, public conveniences and the Park Visitor Centre.

To the trailhead

Proceed through the Country Park barrier and ride along the road taking the first left towards Wong Shek Pier.

After a short ride you will pass a row of houses on the left. Look out for a path that turns off the pavement.

The trailhead

The start of the ride begins by taking this path, note that there are no mountain bike signs to indicate that this is a bike path, these are located some way down the trail. Continue along this path until the first turning to the right, a small concrete path, that ends at a small village.

Keep left, avoiding the village until you get to a dirt trail that steadily climbs up the valley to the saddle over looking Yung Shue O village. The descent, a technical downhill with lots of steps will challenge even the best of riders. It also offers some spectacular views, and some beautiful rock pools, ideal for taking a quick dip to cool down!

At the bottom of the downhill there is a road and a small bridge leading to Yung Shue O village. Take the road through the village turning left and then right towards the sea front. You will then notice a trail that runs diagonally across a rice paddy field before rejoining the coastal trail.

Follow the coastal trail until you come across a small settlement and a golf course. Proceed along the trail as it climbs then dips in a gradual descent towards Hoi Ha village.

The trail ends at the main road to Hoi Ha, here you are faced with a long road ride back to the entrance of the country park, alternatively you can head into Hoi Ha for food and drink and organise a taxi or van to pick you up.

If you haven’t had enough you can always head over to Wan Tsai island by following the road through Hoi Ha to its natural conclusion. A short wide trial will bring you out onto Wan Tsai island, a playground for honing your skills

Alternatively you can park at the car park at Kei Ling Ha and get to the coastal trail using the road to Yung Shue O.

General

This trail, especially in the early sections is technically challenging, lots of rutted steps makes the climb almost impossible even for the best of us, giving you have no alternative but to hike-a-bike up the hills, the descents are not much better large unwieldy steps make it difficult to stay on the bike, even ones with bigger travel! This has led to the question by many bikers “why is it a legal trail in the first place?” and “why bother” However the latter sections can be very rewarding as you bike along some of Hong Kong’s most pristine environs.

Note: there have been numerous complaints about mountain bikers by local “villagers” around the settlement at the golf course, so please use diplomacy through this section

Warning: This is a hard 3-4 hour ride over mostly exposed trail so go prepared, there is nowhere for provisions at any point during the ride until you get to Yung Shue O so make sure you take plenty of water and food, especially during the got summer months